A.M. Three Strikes: Judicial vacancies piling up

LEADING OFF: If you’ve been following the increasingly acrimonious judicial nominating process — and why wouldn’t you be, what with the need to know about up-and-coming prospects for your fantasy Supreme Court league — then this morning’s New York Times story will come as little surprise: A Democractic New Jersey senator is blocking the nomination of a judge to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, possibly because the nominee is in a relationship with a man who heads an anti-corruption unit at the U.S. Attorney’s office that once investigated the senator.

Our own 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is no stranger to blocked nominees. There are currently two vacancies on the court and efforts to fill both of them have been stymied. Last year, Kansas attorney Steve Six never received a committee vote because his home state senators didn’t support his nomination — for reasons possibly having to do with his positions on abortion, but it’s not really clear. The prospective nominee for the other vacancy, University of Tulsa law school dean Janet Levit, wasn’t even officially nominated because of opposition from Sen. Tom Coburn, who was apparently concerned about Levit’s expertise in international law. (Check out JudicialNominations.org, from the progressive American Constitution Society, for a good rundown on federal judicial vacancies and pending nominations.)

Lastly, a web-only bonus: Despite the fact that a woman was able to punch, scratch and “nearly urinate” on a $30 million painting in the gallery, the Clyfford Still Museum assures Joey Bunch that its security guards are on the job.

I suppose next they’ll be reporting on the new season of Jersey Shore. Anything to keep the citizens in this country from knowing what is really going on so they can make educated voting and consumer decisions! Just keep buying MacDonald’s and Coca Cola and everything will go away!